


Big and Little

by ami_ven



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Episode Tag, Episode: s03e04 Phone Home, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-29 17:53:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16748842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ami_ven/pseuds/ami_ven
Summary: Mick and Ray take little Ray home after trick-or-treating.





	Big and Little

The tenth time that little Ray yawned loudly and the third time he’d nearly walked into a mailbox, Sara announced that they’d had enough trick-or-treating.

“What?” protested Nate. “It’s still early.”

“For you, perhaps,” said Martin – had and Jax had separated a few blocks ago. “For some of us, it is well past our bedtime.”

“We can keep going,” yawned little Ray. “You don’t have to go.”

“I’m afraid we do,” said Amaya, kindly. “But we’ll see each other again.”

“Soon?” the boy pressed. 

The adults shared a wary look over his head. “Um, before you know it,” said Ray.

“Okay,” his younger self said, and yawned again.

“Gimme that,” said Mick, pulling the half-filled pillowcase out of little Ray’s slack fingers. Before anyone could protest that he was almost literally taking candy from a baby, he’d scooped the boy up, shoving the bag of treats ad a surprised grown-up Ray.

“Careful,” he warned.

“I’m not gonna drop him,” said Mick, as the boy wrapped both arms around his neck, helmeted head against Mick’s shoulder.

“You’ll probably be more comfortable without that,” said Zari, and reached up to unfasten the helmet.

“Thanks,” mumbled little Ray, snuggling closer to Mick.

“Well,” said Martin. “It won’t take all of us to walk this young man home. Mr. Rory, perhaps you could let someone else—”

“I’ve got him,” said Mick. “Me’n Haircut can handle this. Hey, Blondie, you got your mind zapper?”

“What? Why?” demanded Ray, but Sara held out the Time Bureau’s memory-altering gun.

“He’s right,” she said. “If you don’t remember any of this, then little you can’t remember any of this.”

“Oh,” said Ray, and took it. “Good idea.”

“We’ll meet you back at the ship, then,” said Sara. 

Everyone crowded forward to say their goodbyes, then Mick was left alone with two versions of Ray Palmer.

“It’s your house, Haircut,” he said. “Lead the way.”

“Oh, um, sure,” said Ray, and they started walking again.

It was a little tricky getting back into the house without making Ray’s mother suspicious, but they managed it. Mick immediately plopped onto little Ray’s bed, but his older self hovered uncomfortably, standing by the closet door.

“Well,” he said. “Looks like this is goodbye. For… well, for a really long time.”

“Goodbye?” little Ray repeated. “You’re leaving?”

“Well, yes, we have to, um, go far away. Far away and, um—”

“He knows what’s going on,” Mick interrupted. “Don’t ya, little Haircut?”

The boy nodded. “You’re me from the _future_. You’re _me_ from the future!”

“That’s—” said Ray. “How did you know that? How did you know he knew that?”

“He’s a genius,” said Mick. “And you talk too much.”

Ray opened his mouth to protest, then admitted, “Both of those things are true.”

“There you go.”

“But…” said little Ray. “I won’t be able to remember this. Because you’re me and you didn’t know what was going to happen.”

“He’s good,” said Mick. “You’re right, Little Haircut, we’re gonna wipe your memory of this whole thing.”

The boy’s eyes widened. “But I’ll forget Gumball! And all of you.”

“That thing might have been cute now, but it grows up to be a killing machine,” said Mick.

“But I’m sure Gumball will remember _you_ ,” Ray added quickly. “And you know this is the right thing to do. To preserve the timeline.”

His younger self nodded. “I understand,” he said. “But I’ve got some demands.”

“Demands?” Ray repeated, incredulous, but Mick just grunted, “Let’s hear ‘em.”

“If you’re going to wipe my memory,” said little Ray, “I want to hear about the future. And no lying.”

“That seems fair,” said Mick. “Ask away.”

“Hey!” protested Ray. “I can’t just tell him _everything_!”

“Why not? He’s you, Haircut, he’s not going to remember any of it, and he’s like eight years old. How bad could it be?”

“All right, fine,” Ray agreed.

His younger self paused. “Do I really grow up big like you, or is that just the suit?”

“Oh,” said Ray, brightening. “You’ll hit a growth spurt around eleventh grade. After that, it’s just good old-fashioned healthy eating and exercise.”

“So you don’t have superpowers at all?” Little Ray pressed.

“He’s got that big ol’ brain,” said Mick.

Ray frowned. “That’s not a superpower. I’m not even really that much smarter than the average non-enhanced human, I just really like science.”

“So I’m already smart enough?” asked his younger self.

“Well… yes,” said Ray. “I mean, you’ll need a lot more education – so no more truancy, young man – but my suit was designed by me.”

“I like school,” said Little Ray. “So that won’t be a problem. Then I’ll invent all kinds of great stuff.”

“Right,” said Ray. “You’ll invent enough stuff that you’ll start your own company.”

“You own a whole company?”

“Not anymore,” said Mick.

“You lost it?” asked Little Ray.

“No,” his older self said, quickly. “There was a bit of an accident, so I gave it to a very good friend.”

“And _she_ lost it,” added Mick.

“No,” said Ray. “There was a coup by the board of directors, that was hardly Felicity’s fault.”

“Your friend’s name is Felicity?” said Little Ray. “Then I finally learn how to talk to girls?”

“Oh, hell, no,” said Mick. “You suck at talking to everyone.”

“That’s not true,” Ray protested. “I’ve dated lots of girls. I’ve been engaged twice.”

“But they didn’t marry you?” Little Ray asked.

Ray rested a hand on his younger self’s shoulder. “Things don’t always work out,” he said, softly. “Even when two people love each other, they don’t always get to spend their lives together. But I don’t regret knowing or loving either of them. They’re both part of the reason I became the Atom – and was able to meet someone new.”

“Not the scary blonde lady?” asked Little Ray, frowning.

Mick laughed. “Definitely not her.”

“Then who?”

“Well, I…” began Ray. “By twenty-seventeen, society is starting to overcome a lot of its prejudices and I’m—”

“—shacking up with me,” Mick finished.

“You can’t do that!” said Little Ray. “You’re both _boys_.”

“That’s not a problem in the future.” His older self paused. “Not as much of a problem. We could even get married, if we wanted.”

“You could?”

“We’re not quite there yet,” said Mick.

Ray blinked. “Yet?” he repeated. “You’d… you’d want to?”

The other man shrugged. “Not ruling it out.”

“Mick, that’s…”

“You really want to marry me?” his younger self interrupted.

“No, because you’re a baby,” said Mick. “But grown-up Haircut here? Sure.”

“Because you love him,” the boy pressed.

“Yeah.”

“You do?” said Ray. At Mick’s look, he quickly backpedaled, “I mean, of course you do. But you’ve never said it.”

“You never asked,” said Mick.

“I… did not,” Ray admitted. “I, um, I love you, too.”

Mick grinned. “There,” he said, to the younger Ray. “Everything turns out okay. Now, we’re gonna wipe your memory.”

“ _Mick_ ,” said Ray, but his younger self nodded.

“Okay.”

“You should get ready for bed,” said Mick. “That way, even if we do this wrong, you can pretend it was all just a bad dream.”

“Or a good dream,” said Little Ray, opening a drawer to get his pajamas. “Even if it was scary.”

While his younger self went into the bathroom to change and brush his teeth, Ray asked, “Would you really have just said it, if I asked you if you love me?”

“Sure,” said Mick.

“Well… do you?”

“Sure,” he repeated, and leaned in to kiss Ray, right there in the middle of his childhood bedroom.

“Ew,” said Little Ray – they hadn’t heard him come back in. “You didn’t say there would be kissing.”

“You’ll like it when you’re older,” said Ray.

“I don’t know about that,” his younger self mumbled, crawling into bed.

Mick pulled up the covers. “Okay, now go to sleep.”

Little Ray pouted. “You gotta do it right. Didn’t anybody ever tuck you in?”

“No,” said Mick. He glanced up at big Ray, then leaned over and kissed the boy’s forehead. “That better?”

“Yeah,” yawned little Ray.

His older self raised the memory gun. “Good night, Ray,” he said, when the boy closed his eyes, and pulled the trigger.

Little Ray gave a gasp, then let out a low breath – and began to snore.

“Hey,” said Mick, softly. “You okay, Haircut?”

“Yeah,” he said, sounding surprised. “Yeah, I think I am.”

“Good. Let’s go home.”

Ray looked around the room, then smiled. “Yeah,” he repeated. “Yeah, let’s go.”

THE END


End file.
